Frampton Marsh RSPB 20th May 2022
The 20th was the last day of our holiday and we drove from our cottage in Thornham to the village of Woolsthorpe by Belvoir where we stayed at the Chequers Inn. En route, though, we stopped at Frampton Marsh RSPB reserve. Here was our last chance to see Turtle Doves we thought, since we had had such good views the last time we visited there. Unfortunately they have stopped visiting there as well so this was our third and last idea of where me might see them. There were some compensations though.
The last time we were at Frampton Marsh it was all about the scrapes and lakes just outside the reception area but this year that was all a bit quiet. We were told our best bet was out at the sea wall where some waders, including Little and Temminck’s Stints had been seen. So off we headed. It was only when we got to the end of the track that we realised that if you drive past the reception car park there is actually a parking area down at the sea wall. I checked this at reception later and they confirmed that if you were an RSPB member you could drive down there and park no problem. I wish we had know this before and must remember next time.
By the time we got down to the sea wall the birders were saying that most of the waders had flown off to catch a nearby receding tide. One last bird remained, however, and that was a Temminck’s Stint. Not our first of the holiday but by far the best scoped views allowing for prolonged memorising of the bird’s features. We stayed there a while and put some other people on to the bird before returning to the visitor centre. As we were sitting there, a chap told us that he had a pair of Barnacle Geese in his scope and this turned out to be the only year tick of the visit. As we sat in the reception cum tea room, two Spoonbills flew in and started wading around right outside the window. A nice finish to the day but time to go because we still had some miles to go to get to our next accomodation.
As it happened, when we checked into our room we discovered some ants and piles of dust behind the bedside tables so we had to get the owner to clean it all out. She was clearly mortified and even offered to phone around to get us somewhere to stay as she was full up that night. We settled for a clean up and a free drink and in the end it was a nice place in a nice location so we were satisfied that it was a one-off.
Next morning we were off home and just managed to get a Jay flyby from the car to make the last of our 113 species for the fortnight which included 3 life ticks!
Bird Sightings : Frampton Marsh RSPB 20th May 2022
| Species | No |
|---|---|
| Jay | 1 |
| Avocet | 30 |
| Barnacle Goose | 2 |
| Black-headed Gull | 20 |
| Blackbird | 1 |
| Canada Goose | 16 |
| Common Tern | 2 |
| Coot | 2 |
| Cormorant | 3 |
| Great Crested Grebe | 2 |
| Greylag Goose | 4 |
| Lapwing | 6 |
| Little Egret | 3 |
| Magpie | 2 |
| Mallard | 10 |
| Mute Swan | 4 |
| Oystercatcher | 2 |
| Pochard | 6 |
| Redshank | 6 |
| Reed Bunting | 1 |
| Reed Warbler | 1 |
| Sedge Warbler | 2 |
| Shelduck | 8 |
| Shoveler | 4 |
| Skylark | 1 |
| Spoonbill | 2 |
| Swallow | 8 |
| Swift | 4 |
| Temminck’s Stint | 1 |
| Tufted Duck | 6 |
